By KT Reporter
Health experts in Northern Uganda are raising concern over widespread misconceptions about elephantiasis, a debilitating disease that has left thousands suffering in silence due to misinformation.
Elephantiasis, medically Known as Lymphatic filariasis is caused by parasitic worms transmitted through the bites of mosquitoes. The disease leads to severe swelling of the limbs and other body parts making movement very difficult and social stigma.
Rashid Mwesigye, a medical entomologist consultant at Sightsavers Uganda, a non-governmental organization fighting neglected tropical diseases says most people still believe elephantiasis and hydrocele diseases are caused by witchcraft or stepping on charms.
Mwesigye who is also a vector control officer in Lira district notes that despite available treatment options, such misconception have fueled reluctance among many patients to seek for medical help leaving some to opt for traditional medicine instead.
Speaking at the Acholi Lymphatic Filariasis Disease Management and Disability inclusion start up workshop in Gulu city Tuesday, Mwesigye says most patients due to misconception have had deteriorating health conditions which would have been easily treated.
Mwesigye explains that the disease is spread through the bites of infected anopheles’ species of mosquitoes which deposits filarial parasitic worms to the skin which gradually enters the body and over time causes damages to the lymphatic system.
According to him, for a person to develop complications, they must have at least been beaten about 1,000 times by infected mosquitoes adding that the acute complications usually show up between 7 to 10 years later.
In Lira district, at least 447 cases of elephantiasis and hydrocele cases have been registered in six sub counties with the highest burden recorded in barr sub county.
However, health workers say the majority patients in such rural areas in district have had advancement in their conditions due to reluctance.
Morris Odong, a resident of Abali village in Barr Sub-county, Lira district is one of the elephantiasis patients who confessed for relying on traditional treatment after being told by his parents and relatives that he had been bewitched.
Odong’s condition started with a swelling on his left leg in 2003 while he was 15 years-old but efforts to diagnose it were unsuccessful including a scan conducted at Mulago National Referral Hospital in 2006.
He said after returning from Mulago National Referral Hospital, his father took him immediately to a traditional healer but the condition of his leg kept worsening until 2024 when he received care medical assistance. His leg had reached stage V, with painful open wounds that prevented him from walking and working.
Caroline Acen, 45, another recovering patient noted that when she started experiencing swelling on her right leg, her parents pointed out to a possible act of charms and immediately took her to get medication from a traditional healer. Acen however noted that her conditions kept deteriorating while using herbs until she was enrolled on proper medication.
Both Acen and Odong are among some hundreds of patients from Lango Sub-region who have received medical treatment and surgeries for complications from elephantiasis and hydrocele funded by Sightsavers Uganda.
On Wednesday, the organization in its bid to expand its operation in improving the quality of lives of people with advanced lymphatic filariasis launched a new project that will benefit patients and health workers in eight districts of Acholi and two others in Teso Sub region.
The three years’ project worth 1.5 million Euro (approximately 7 billion shillings) will be implemented in the districts of Omoro, Gulu, Nwoya, Amuru, Lamwo, Kitgum, Agago and Pader all in Acholi, and Katakwi and Amuria in Teso Sub-region.
Dr Anthony Wani, the Country Director Sightsavers Uganda Country Office explains that the project will targets three key areas of health systems strengthening to handle complications of Lymphatic Filariasis. Others he says are equipping health facilities to handle diagnosis, assessment and conduct surgeries for Lymphoedema diseases, and disease management and disability inclusion to fight misconception.
Dr Wani noted that through conducting health education within the community, they expect patients to come out willing for treatment without thinking that they are bewitched and deserve traditional solutions.
Through the project, an estimated 2,000 hydrocele patients are expected to receive surgeries while 2,339 patients will be trained in lymphedema management. A total of 210 health workers and 982 community volunteers in the selected 10 districts will be trained on lympheodema management, while 19 surgical teams for hydrocele surgery will be trained.
Acording to data from the Vector Control Division at the Ministry of Health, a total of 4,997 cases of lympheodema and 6,464 cases of hydrocele have been listed in the Sub-regions of Teso, Lango and Acholi.
Since 2019, the Ministry of Health stopped mass drug administration for Lymphatic filariasis following no new detection of cases-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
